Hawks beat 76ers 124-101 to snap three-game losing streak

Atlanta Hawks' John Jenkins (12) shoot against the Philadelphia 76ers in the first half of an NBA basketball game, Wednesday, April 10, 2013, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/H. Rumph Jr) (The Associated Press)

Atlanta Hawks' Josh Smith, center, shoots as Philadelphia 76ers' Nick Young (1) and Thaddeus Young (21) defend in the first half of an NBA basketball game, Wednesday, April 10, 2013, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/H. Rumph Jr) (The Associated Press)

Philadelphia 76ers' Thaddeus Young (21) celebrates after he scored against the Atlanta Hawks in the first half of an NBA basketball game, Wednesday, April 10, 2013, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/H. Rumph Jr) (The Associated Press)

Philadelphia 76ers' Jrue Holiday (11) talks to 76ers coach Doug Collins during a time out against the Atlanta Hawks in the first half of an NBA basketball game, Wednesday, April 10, 2013, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/H. Rumph Jr) (The Associated Press)

Josh Smith had 28 points and 12 rebounds, John Jenkins added 21 points and the Hawks blitzed the Philadelphia 76ers 124-101 on Wednesday.

Mike Scott contributed 17, Al Horford had 16 and Jeff Teague 13 for the Hawks, who snapped a three-game losing streak and improved to 43-36.

"We settled for some early jump shots," Hawks coach Larry Drew said. "But we gathered ourselves and were able to get into a rhythm."

The Hawks pulled into a tie with the Chicago Bulls for fifth place in the Eastern Conference playoff chase. The Hawks recently clinched their sixth straight playoff berth but were coming off losses to the Sixers, New York Knicks and San Antonio.

The Hawks hit 49 of their 91 shots (53.8 percent).

"Getting into a rhythm is very important," Hawks guard Kyle Korver said. "We got off to a bit of a slow start, but we were able to turn it up. We had good ball movement and got things going on all cylinders."

Thaddeus Young led the reeling Sixers with 28 points while Nick Young had 19 off the bench.

"I'm still trying to focus in on finishing the season the right way and just going out there, playing as hard as I can," Thaddeus Young said.

Dorell Wright contributed 15 points and Jrue Holiday had 12 but continued to struggle with his shot, going 4 for 14.

Holiday was 17 for 65 in the past four games against Charlotte, Atlanta, Miami and Brooklyn.

Philadelphia lost its third straight game to fall to 31-47.

"Josh Smith was brilliant in the third quarter," Sixers coach Doug Collins said. "Thad had an incredible first half, but when the ball starts sticking and we take low percentage shots, we pay for them at the other end because we don't have great speed to get back."

After going ahead 59-51 at halftime, the Hawks continued playing at a high level in the third quarter. An 18-6 run pushed their advantage to 77-57 and they cruised the rest of the game.

This was a much different result for the Sixers than five days ago in Atlanta, when they defeated the Hawks 101-90.

"They hit some crazy shots early when (we) played in Atlanta and they were hot early and we kind of got discouraged a little bit," Horford said. "It was just night and day as far as the effort between the game Friday night and this game."

Thaddeus Young was sensational in the first half with 22 points on 11-of-16 shooting. It was the most points scored in a half by any Philadelphia player this season.

But the rest of the Sixers shot 8 of 34 in the first half.

The Hawks shot 50 percent from the field and knocked down all 10 of their free throws to take a 59-51 lead into the locker room.

NOTES: Hawks C Johan Petro missed the game for personal reasons. . Teague had nine assists in the first half. . The Sixers fell to 4-17 in the second game of back-to-backs this season. . Holiday was whistled for a technical foul with 7:25 left in the third quarter. . Korver hit at least one 3-pointer for the 71st consecutive game, the fourth-longest streak in NBA history behind Dana Barros (89), Michael Adams (79) and Dennis Scott (78).